TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams had four runners compete in the NAIA Championships for the first time in school history Friday morning, as national championships were decided at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Theresa Long, Felicity Foxhoven, and Lily Burke represented the Gyrenes in the women's race, while Joseph Perreault made his third nationals appearance for the men.

In the final race of her senior season, Theresa Long set a new personal record with a time of 18:41.2, which also marks the sixth fastest time in program history. Long finished well, climbing 18 spots from 94th to 76th in the final 1000 meters. Felicity Foxhoven finished the 5k race in 19:45.8, and also had a solid finishing kick, gaining seven spots in the final 1000 meters. AMU's efforts were rounded out by Lily Burke's time of 20:12.5, and Burke also gained spots - eleven, to be exact - in the final 1000 meters.

William Carey's Lina May was the individual national champion in the women's race, crossing the finish line at 16:50.9, eight seconds ahead of Huntington's Addy Wiley. Taylor University sprinted away with the team national championship, thanks to all five of their scoring runners placing in the top 20. Taylor recorded 50 points in the championship race, finishing 127 points ahead of the national runner-up from Milligan University.

In his third appearance on the national stage, Perreault ran his fastest time of the season. The junior crossed the finish line at 26:56.9, marking the second fastest time of his Ave Maria career and a top-15 time in program history. Much like his female counterparts, Perreault gained ground as the race went on, passing 18 runners in the final 1000 meters of the race.

Oklahoma City University claimed the top two finishers in the men's race, as Abraham Chelangam (23:41.9) and Shimales Abebe (24:03.9) finished 1-2. However, the team national championship went to the Dordt University Defenders, powered by five finishers placing in the national top 50. Dordt won the national championship with 97 points, finishing 18 points ahead of runner-up Milligan, which was also the difference between Dordt and Milligan's fifth finishers.

With the historic performance at nationals, Ave Maria concludes the 2022 season, the first under head coach Alan Webb. A record six Gyrenes earned All-Conference honors during the conference championships, with several of those runners slated to return for the 2023 campaign.